Freedom Summit: Work for the Dole rules are racially discriminatory

Tougher rules for the Aboriginal communities who will be forced to “work a full year 5 days a week on welfare wages”.

The Original Peoples Freedom Movement are diametrically opposed to the punitive and exploitative work; five days a week, 12 months a year, dole scheme proposed by the Abbott Government that racially discriminates against the Original Peoples of Australia.

“This is nothing more than an all too familiar ploy to further assimilate our people through forced removal from their Traditional Homelands. Research from Amnesty International and the Menzies School of Health clearly shows it remains essential to our peoples wellbeing and long-term health that we are to remain in our Traditional Homelands and APY communities, ” said Freedom Summit representative Paul Spearim Jnr.

This is the Government’s first policy kow-tow response to mining magnate Andrew Forrest’s Indigenous employment report that discriminates against both race and locality. The remote scheme targets Aboriginal communities without Government infrastructure and industry not supported by Government. It is a policy that will force Homeland Communities to come into the already disease ridden overcrowding and poverty-riddled townships funded by Government that Aboriginal people escaped from over 40 years ago.

The Northern Territory Australian of the year, Rosalie Kunoth-Monks was forceful in her rejection of the policy. “Stop the assault, the Government is in violation of human rights. We demand that they stop the dictatorship and assault on first Australians. I want an absolute halt to the punitive assault of our people. I will not use diplomacy when I speak as a Black woman under threat. The trauma of the intervention has cost lives... depression is high, suicide in numbers we have never seen – and now with the call for five days a week slavery on welfare wages will mean the end of the homelands and moving our people into the ghetto’s and townships.”

“We have to rise above what is happening. I will not be dictated to by anyone. I speak from the degree of my Traditional Homelands. That is who I am and who I represent and I now find myself speaking as a Black woman fighting for survival. I will not be whitewashed in my thinking. Once again I state that we are not the problem,” said Ms Kunoth-Monks.

This racially targeted, racist policy will be aggressively rolled out region by region, starting next July.

“This is nothing but an outrageous land grab and obscene discriminatory policy that as usual is being only implemented against one people without even the guise of consultation or negotiation. It is part of an ongoing attack against the human rights of the most vulnerable of our First Nations. And who is leading this? Andrew Forrest? Or Tony Abbott? They are looking for the cheapest labour force they can establish on the backs of our people,” said Tauto Sansbury.